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Elevated ALT activity in volunteer blood donors
1Departament of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine.
Boletin De La Asociacion Medica De Puerto Rico
|May 1, 1991
Summary
This study analyzed blood donor ALT levels, finding an average of 35.91 units/liter, higher than reported elsewhere. This research informs hepatitis B core antibody and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) testing for post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) prevention.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Transfusion Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) is primarily caused by non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANB) virus.
- Lack of specific tests for NANB virus historically complicated screening.
- Correlations established between donor alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, hepatitis B core antibody positivity, and recipient PTH.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine local normal ALT activity levels in blood donors.
- To assess the implications of high local ALT levels in the context of PTH prevention strategies.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of surrogate markers for NANB virus detection.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of ALT activity data from 3108 healthy volunteer blood donors.
- Data collected from the Hospital Universitario Ramón Ruiz Arnau Blood Bank donor files.
- Focus on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity as a surrogate marker for PTH.
Main Results:
- The average ALT activity among local blood donors was determined to be 35.91 units/liter.
- This average ALT level is significantly higher than those reported in other blood bank studies.
- The findings highlight potential regional variations in donor ALT levels.
Conclusions:
- The study identified a higher-than-expected average ALT level in the local donor population.
- This necessitates further investigation into potential causes for elevated local ALT activity.
- Understanding local normal ALT ranges is crucial for optimizing PTH screening protocols.